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Regardless of the size of a company’s budget, there are ample opportunities waiting to connect businesses and candidates. To remain competitive in a candidate-driven market, HR is stepping away from traditional methods and tapping into creative sourcing strategies.

According to HireVue, it takes approximately42 days for an employer to fill a job. Employers can close this gap by stepping away from conventional hiring methods putting themselves directly in front of candidates. Conventional hiring methods worked for previous generations but these practices are becoming outdated as new generations penetrate the workforce.

Companies can look outside of their industry for creative inspiration. Taco Bell, a popular American fast food chain, took a different approach by throwing ahiring party. They took a formal recruiting strategy and redesigned it to speak to the newer generation. According to the Mexican-inspired restaurant, 50% of job applicants who applied for a job were considered perfect fits.

These events are a great way to incorporate current employees giving them an opportunity to interact with prospective candidates. If prospective candidates and employees have a good connection, it gives great insight if they’d be a match for the culture.

Showcase Talent and Cultural Happenings

A survey done by CareerArc showed job seekerstrust current employee recommendations more than they trust company recruitment material. HR can reduce the barriers that keep the internal culture a secret making it transparent to the external world. They can do this by using the brand personality on social media to promote the employee experience and cultural events.

Research done byBetterTeamfound 62% of job seekers use social mediaas part of their job search strategy. To be successful in building brand awareness online, HR can partner with internal departments to create a brand personality everyone stands behind.

Revamp Job Descriptions with Storytelling Techniques

Historical job descriptions focused solely on the needs of the employer with excessive use of corporate lingo and dry bullet points that lacked personality. The new generation isn't seeking a job, they're seeking a mutually beneficial opportunity to share their talents while growing and developing their skills. To capture the attention of top talent, HR needs to personalize their job descriptions to speak to candidates instead of at them.

Successful storytelling techniques use fun language candidates can identify with by walking them through a typical day, the team environment as well as perks and benefits.This helps candidates visualize what their experience in a company would be like. Some companies have taken it a step further byintegrating employee videosinto their job description. This allows HR to articulate the position more effectively creating a more engaging experience for the candidate.

Tap into a creative mindset and collaborate internally to uncover new sourcing strategies. Photo by Getty ImagesGetty

Round-Up Past Candidates

Yesterdays rejected candidate can be tomorrow's rising star. It's easy to forget about previous potential talent if they've been filed away after not making the final cut. As a small startup owner, Jeff Rizzo ofRIZKNOWS, revisits past candidates first before posting a new position. He files resumes of interest in a separate email folder revisiting previous applicants as a first option before bringing in new ones.

Larger businesses, receiving resumes by the thousands, rely on applicant tracking systems to store past candidates and update them on new positions. Jana Tulloch ofTulloch Consulting, appreciates the ability to review past candidates in the applicant tracking system as it saves her time from posting and reviewing new resumes. This automated process alerts candidates giving them the opportunity to be a first applicant.

Utilize Your Personal Space

Company websites are often overlooked with untapped potential to draw in top talent. This leaves candidates frustrated and eventually giving up. Designating space on the front page will alert candidates of potential opportunities encouraging them to apply.

HR can partner with marketing to create content about the company experience and cultural happenings. When candidates come across content, they’re naturally inclined to research the origin of it. Talentlyft, a recruiting software company, says thisinbound recruiting method is effective because it attracts candidates who are aligned with the company.

Collaborate Internally

An effective and often overlooked strategy is collaborating with the people who have been through the process and know the culture best. Creating a referral program and incentivizing employees to be ambassadors will help spread the message in an authentic way. Each employee brings a personalized network with them. Encouraging them to share their experience along with job openings on their social media will draw interest from potential candidates in their network.

Employees are connected to community events and have their ears in everything. Don't overlook the potential connections they have at competing companies. These connections can provide insight and new creative ideas for sourcing talent. Establishing open communication with employees can keep HR abreast of new trends.

Companies don’t need to have a presence in a large city to tap into their local community. Forming partnerships with local organizations and colleges can put companies in front of new and hungry talent before competitors seek them out. Social media platforms offer niche specific and local groups that are filled with potential top talent.

In order to be successful, HR needs to move away from the traditional tactical approach and adopt a creative strategic approach to capture the attention of top talent. These strategies will increase brand awareness both on and offline giving companies a competitive edge.

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I'm an HR & Business Strategy Consultant and Executive Coach at Heidi Lynne Consulting helping businesses and organizations attract, hire and retain top talent while creating engaging candidate and employee experiences. I do this by providing recruiting, onboarding, tal...